Thursday, April 13, 2006

Anthro-centric global scare mongering, II

Sometimes it's simply a matter of looking at it in a different way. Jerry Pournelle provides a superb example of looking at the typical scare-mongering of the anthro-centric global-warmists in this commentary on a credulous book review written by Anne-Marie O'Connor. The book was written by Tim Flannery and it's called "The Weather Makers". From Pournelle's commentary, beginning with quotes from O'Connor's review:

”About 100,000 years ago, Flannery says, the Earth was just slightly warmer than it is now -- and sea level was 12 feet higher.

“ ‘We know that ice cap has been stable for at least a million years and more likely 3 million years,’ he said. ‘The north polar cap won't be there by 2020 and 2100 if it keeps up. Some people say it won't be there in 15 years time. That polar ice cap reflects sunlight back into space. Instead of reflecting the sun's energy, it is now absorbing the sun's energy, and that is heating the planet more. The ice is much thinner, maybe 40% of its thickness 30 to 40 years ago.’

“ ‘You don't have to be a Rhodes scholar or a Harvard graduate to see that's a problem.’ ”

I don't have to be a Harvard graduate to see that if the Earth were this warm 100,000 years ago, but the polar ice cap was stable for 1 million years or more, there is something wrong with his data. Nor do I recall that 95% of all species died off 100,000 years ago, but my education in those matters may be deficient. Does anyone know of such a die-off?

...I still don't understand how the ice cap can have been there for a million years when 100,000 years ago the Earth was warmer and the seas 12 feet higher. Perhaps someone more learned in these matters can explain it to us. I fear Anne-Marie O'Connor didn't think to ask.